1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sports, and more particularly, to a swing training apparatus which alerts the user to head movement during the course of a swing, be it a golf swing or baseball bat swing, and teaches the user muscle memory in order to keep the head in a proper orientation during the swing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A myriad of factors come into play in order to permit an athlete to strike a ball with a hand held implement and achieve the desired trajectory and result. One of the most important factors in achieving a well struck golf shot is the positioning and movement of the head of a golfer. The head provides the center of balance for the body and the axis about which the body pivots to generate the desired club head speed and it is therefore important that a golfer keep his head in a relatively stationary, fixed positioned during the swing in order to properly strike the ball and achieve the intended trajectory or flight path. The position of the golfer's head is also influenced by a number of independent factors which affect its orientation. These include but are not limited to: 1) the evenness or unevenness of the surface upon which the golfer is standing affects the positioning of the head relative to the golf ball and the swing, 2) as does the stance of the golfer, 3) the angle between the golfer's calf and thigh, 4) the angle or slope of the spine at address, and 5) the hip and shoulder movement during the backswing, downswing, and follow through.
When practicing, the golfer may believe that he is maintaining his head in a stationary, fixed position during the golf swing, or the golfer may rely upon an observer to provide verbal feedback as to the motion of the golfer's head during the golf swing. However, neither of these two practice methods provides any direct tactile feedback to the golfer regarding the motion of his head during the swing. The head may remain fixed in a horizontal plane, but move laterally or vertically. U.S. Pat. No. 7,204,766 to Rose attempted to address this problem, but does not provide the feedback required. One notable golf instructor provided tactile feedback to his students by holding on to their head as they execute the golf swing. Applicant's apparatus achieves the tactile feedback required without the need or presence of an instructor or an assistant. There therefore has been a need for a training device which provides this tactile sensation and feedback to the golfer regarding the motion of his head during the golf swing.
Applicant has found in certain instances, after the completion of the golf swing, that some head movement is desired in order to more easily square the shoulders to the direction of the shot. Applicant has therefore developed an attachment which provides all of the same tactile feedback to the golfer, but allows for limited head movement at the proper moment of the swing.
Still further, Applicant has developed the swing trainer and adapted it for use by baseball players, who in order to maintain a correct and repetitive swing pattern must also be conscious of the position of the head and its movement, thus this improved swing trainer can provide such tactile feedback to a baseball batter.
Baseball hitting coaches will continually stress to players that the head should be positioned in the middle of the body, somewhat centered between the legs during the pre-load stance, and if the head moves to the inside of the back thigh or slightly over the knee during the loading phase while the chin remains on or just above the front shoulder throughout the load, with the back shoulder rotating to the chin during the swing. The head turns slightly during the follow through due to the force of the swing, yet the eyes should remain level throughout the swing.
When using a batting tee, the hitter is told to visualize a pitch from an imaginary pitcher and take the proper swing keeping his eyes in the hitting zone. After the ball leaves the tee or the hitting zone, the batter's head may turn slightly and naturally from the force of the swing, but the focus is on keeping the head steady and the eyes level as the bat swings towards the ball. It is therefore obvious that in baseball, the head and eyes need to stay in a steady straight and level orientation while the bat is being swung. Applicant's adaption of his training device allows for a hitter to develop such muscle memory.